NSW Government place-based responses

Everyone deserves to be safe in their own home and community.

The NSW Government is listening to community concerns about youth crime – especially in rural and regional NSW.

We are taking steps to make communities safer and support young people.

The NSW Government is working side-by-side with local communities, councils and organisations on the ground. It is a complex issue and will take time.

There is still lots to do, but we are seeing positive signs.

Place-based responses

Learn more about the NSW Government’s place-based responses to regional youth crime in the below four areas.

Moree

Tamworth

Kempsey

Western NSW

Regional NSW trends in youth crime (June 2026)

Crime levels in regional NSW have remained stable. Violent and property crime are unchanged over the two years to June 2026.

Court actions against young people in regional NSW declined slightly over the two years to June 2026. This includes for break and enter and motor vehicle theft.

As of 30 June 2026, there were 120 young people from regional NSW in custody. This is down from 139 in June 2024.

Despite these reductions, youth crime rates in 2026 continue to be higher in regional NSW compared with Greater Sydney.

Learn more about youth crime trends across Moree, Kempsey, Tamworth and parts of Western NSW on the pages above.

The NSW Government is committed to keeping communities safe and strong

NSW Government action

$23 million total split across place-based responses in Moree, Tamworth and Kempsey, bail support for young people, and the new $5 million Community Safety Investment Fund
A coordinated response with local communities in Walgett, Brewarrina, Bourke and Coonamble to develop short and long-term measures to improve community safety including each council receiving grants for the 2025/26 summer season and 2026 autumn/winter school holidays
$15.6 million partnership with PCYC to deliver programs for regional youth across NSW over 4 years
Tougher bail laws for repeat offenders
A ‘post and boast’ offence targeting online glorification of crime
Legal reforms following the independent Doli Incapax review giving courts clearer rules for deciding if a child aged 10 to 13 understood their actions were seriously wrong
Giving NSW Police and courts more tools to intervene earlier – before offending gets more serious
$26.2 million community safety package, including a targeted response in Moree
$5.5 million for youth diversion and violence reduction programs
More than $100 million in additional youth justice funding in the 2024-25 budget
Paid police recruits to boost frontline numbers
Stronger knife laws under Jack’s Law
Ongoing NSW Police Force efforts under Operation Soteria and Operation Regional Mongoose
A NSW Police Force drone trial in Moree has been activated since January 2025.

Community Safety Investment Fund

The NSW Government established a new Community Safety Investment Fund in November 2025.

The $5 million fund supports community organisations to design and deliver local, community led projects to:

prevent or respond to youth offending
strengthen families
improve community safety.

The grants focus on young people aged 10 to 17 years involved with or at risk of involvement with the justice system, their families and the broader community.

The fund was open to community and non-government organisations across NSW from November 2025 to January 2026.

There were two available grants. Learn more about the grants and successful recipients:

PCYC and NSW Government Partnership

The NSW Government and the Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC) are investing $15.6 million to deliver life-changing opportunities for young people living in regional and remote NSW.

PCYC NSW will deliver 278 programs across regional NSW over the next 4 years.

You can read about PCYC youth programs on their website.

Announcements